Senate Meeting Synopsis for October 2, 2018

The first Senate meeting of the 2018-19 session was held on October 2, 2018 and was chaired by President Franco Vaccarino.

Chair of the Board of Graduate Studies, Andrew Papadopoulos, commenced the meeting with a territorial land acknowledgment.  Immediately following, University Secretary Gen Gauthier-Chalifour provided a brief orientation for new and returning Senators.

The President offered oral remarks including a welcome to new and returning senators, his recent appointment as vice-Chair of Council of Ontario Universities, an update on the Freedom of Expression and Freedom of Speech statement and directive from government, and a review of his Presidential goals for 2018-19 including focus on the strategic framework, sustainability (broadly conceived) and internationalization.

Provost and VP (Academic) Charlotte Yates provided an update regarding Freedom of Expression, anticipated tuition framework direction from government, SMA2 and that Senate will hear additional information around Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and goals included in the agreement, Career Ready Fund including new initiatives and anticipated receipt of funding for Career Ready Fund 2, and Guelph’s OUF success for 2018.  She welcomed, new appointments including Vice-Provost (Student Affairs) and Chief Information Officer, noted the ongoing search for a Associate Vice-President (Academic), and provided an update on experiences of Saudi students at Guelph.

Vice-President (Research) Malcolm Campbell provided an update on the Strategic Research Plan (SRP), including an update on how the SRP guides and informs internationalization efforts in the Office of Research, including an interactive world map of international research partnerships, research missions where Guelph participated, and focus on strategic international partnerships to build upon our research reputation.

Senate engaged in a deliberative discussion regarding the recent government requirement for a freedom of speech policy and what elements will be included and contemplated in the policy.  A summary of the discussion and written submissions received following the Senate meeting have been made available online.

Other items of business at the meeting included:

• A report from Student Senate Caucus co-chair Keely Kavcic
• Approval of changes to the minimum score required for the Canadian Academic English Language (CAEL) test for graduate admissions
• Approval of changes to the field name in the PhD in Psychology program from Clinical Psychology: Applied Development Emphasis (CP: ADE) to Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology (CCAP).
• Presentation of the 2017-18 Annual Report on Quality Assurance
• Presentation of the quality review report for International Development Studies (IDS).
• Items presented for information, including: update from the COU Academic Colleague, graduate curriculum changes, 2018-19 BGS Subcommittee membership, graduate faculty appointments, results of fall by-elections, and the University of Guelph and University of Guelph-Humber 2019-20 Schedule of Dates.

The Call for Nominations for University Awards was also provided. 

The complete meeting agenda package is available on the University Secretariat website and includes detailed information on the items listed above.

The next Senate meeting will be held on November 26, 2018, in the OVC Lifetime Learning Centre Room 1714.  Meetings are open to the public and visitors who wish to attend should contact the University Secretariat at univsec@uoguelph.ca